


Lovely Intangibles

by sperrywink



Category: Star Trek Reboot
Genre: Holidays, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-20
Updated: 2012-12-20
Packaged: 2017-11-21 18:54:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/601012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sperrywink/pseuds/sperrywink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><b>Prompt:</b> AU: Jim is traveling around and takes a job as a mall Santa; this is where he first encounters Joanna McCoy, where all she asks for Christmas is someone for her dad, Dr. Leonard McCoy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lovely Intangibles

**Author's Note:**

> **Beta:** [](http://raveninthewind.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**raveninthewind**](http://raveninthewind.dreamwidth.org/) with all my gratitude. For [](http://space-wrapped.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://space-wrapped.livejournal.com/)**space_wrapped** 's 2012 Advent Calendar for December 16th.

Jim adjusted the plush body suit to hang better off his thin frame, and then pulled his beard back up. His break was over and it was back to the lines of children and photo-happy parents. His elf sidekick Jenna rolled her eyes and snubbed out her cigarette, and with his own sigh Jim followed. He put his phone away, a bit frustrated at the lack of helicopter pilot jobs across the country. Nothing was pinging him as the opportunity he was waiting for, but since he couldn’t even define to himself what he wanted, he wondered if he was just being stubborn.

Anyway, in the meantime, he had thought it would be a lark being Santa at a mall, and it could be sweet and heartening talking to the kids, but more often than not the parents were nightmares. They pushed and pulled and argued and complained. If this was what one turned into when one had kids, Jim was beginning to rethink the future of the human race.

This was almost as horrible as a war zone and after two tours as a Marine pilot in Afghanistan, Jim knew from combat. What he didn’t know was what to do with the rest of his life or where to do it, besides not in Iowa. He knew he wanted to fly, but making that happen as a civilian was hard. This led to him taking the road trip from D.C. to South Carolina along with a string of temp jobs to while away the time until he found something permanent.

When he rolled into town on December first, he figured Charleston was as good a place as any to spend the holidays, so he rented out a room in one of those executive hotels that had kitchens in the suites and he settled in for the month.

Settling back in his chair, he nodded to Jenna, and she brought the first child up. After two weeks of this, Jim was prepared for all kinds of answers to the question he always asked after getting their name and the naughty or nice banter out of the way, which was, “What would you like from Santa this year, honey?”

This girl, who had introduced herself as Joanna and was about five or six, looked back at her mother who nodded and pointed at Jim as she took shot after shot on her camera. She turned back to Jim and asked, “Are you the real Santa?”

Jim replied, “All Santas are real. We’ve been knighted by the Santa at the North Pole to gather intel here where the kids are. It’s a serious honor being knighted by Santa. You have to swear an oath and everything.”

Joanna nodded seriously. She seemed to like the idea of Santa spies, but then most of the kids who were old enough seemed to get a kick out of Jim’s spiel. She looked around again and Jim let his eyes scan the area as well. Nothing had changed except her photo-happy mother had been taken to the side by Jenna to discuss photo-op prices. Seemingly satisfied, she leaned forward and whispered loudly, “I want someone for my Daddy to come home to.”

Shooting a look at the girl’s mom, Jim whispered back, “Are your parents divorced, honey?”

She nodded again and bit her lip. “Mommy and I don’t live with Daddy anymore, and I know he misses us. Mommy says I can’t get him a puppy to keep him company, that it would be too much work, but I figured Santa could find him a person instead. People can take care of themselves.”

Jim couldn’t keep the sappy smile off his face. He was glad it was hidden by his beard. “Well, I’ll certainly try, but Santa can’t really gift people, you know.”

“I know that! Don’t be silly.” She poked him in his padded stomach. “But Santa can bring people together. I saw _A Miracle on 34th Street_ , you know.” She looked at him fiercely.

His heart melting, Jim said, “I’ll try my best.” She hugged him tight and Jim laughed lightly. “Now, would you like anything else from Santa?”

“I don’t need anything else. That would be the bestest present ever!”

She hopped off his lap and took one more not-so-stealthy look around. “Remember Dr. Leonard McCoy.”

“What?”

“My Daddy, of course! Are you _sure_ you’re Santa?”

“I just got confused for a minute.” Jim winked and that seemed to satisfy Joanna.

She tried to wink back, but her whole face scrunched up. Then her Mom was pulling her away and Jenna was leading the next child to Jim’s lap. Feeling better, optimistic in a way he hadn’t felt in a while, Jim’s shift went quickly for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

A couple days later Joanna was just a fond memory, a story Jim added to his arsenal of tales from his trip, like the diner in Maryland with the sled dogs out back. Or that’s what he thought it would be until a furious man stormed his Santa’s Winter Wonderland.

The guy was already yelling and waving his arms frantically before he even got to the entry to the Wonderland. Jenna wasn’t able to slow him down. He just took her by the shoulders and physically lifted her out of the way. He was about Jim’s height, with a little more mass, so Jenna must have weighed nothing to him since she was a hundred pounds soaking wet. Jim set the child on his lap down and said, “Run to your parents, that’s a good kid.”

He then stood up and started on an intercept path with the guy, ignoring the crying kids and nervous parents. It wasn’t really necessary though. The guy had locked onto Jim and veins started throbbing in his temple as he shouted, “You!” He stomped carelessly over candy canes and holly to get to Jim, but Jim was ready.

The guy was saying, “Who do you think you are lying to my little girl like that-,” but Jim didn’t give him a chance to work up another head of steam. He grabbed one of the guy’s flailing arms, swept his leg out to knock him out at the knees, and tried to twist him as they went down. He wanted the guy on his stomach so he could hold his arms behind him, but the guy was surprisingly strong, and he thwarted that last maneuver. Instead they tumbled to the ground face-to-face with Jim on top. In the moment of stunned silence as they lay there panting, Jim heard some kid exclaim, “Santa is bad-ass, Mommy!”

Jim locked eyes with the guy underneath him, but before he could say anything, the guy’s eyes narrowed and the next thing Jim knew the guy was growling and whacking him with one of the large candy canes from the display that he must have scrambled behind his head for. Jim tried ducking away, all without losing his grip on the guy who was squirming furiously. Unfortunately, the candy canes were made of painted wood so they made pretty good weapons, and Jim was forced to roll away before he got brained.

The Santa suit restricted his movements and was weighted weirdly, so it took some rolling back and forth in the fake snow like an overturned turtle before Jim was finally back on his feet. The guy was already up and brandishing the candy cane at him, and they circled each other like jungle cats. Before either of them could make a move, security swarmed the Winter Wonderland and with yelling and more scuffling they had the guy on the ground and were dragging him away. Before Jim could catch his breath, two burly security guards had him by the arms and were dragging him away too.

He yelled, “I’m Santa, you idiots, that’s the guy over there!” He could see the stunned looks of the parents and kids as he was dragged past the line of waiting customers. He could just imagine the Santa-related trauma all these kids were going to have for years afterwards.

One of the guards said, “Orders, sir.”

“What?”

The guard shrugged and before Jim could demand more answers or kick their asses too, his manager was in front of him yelling with spittle flying out of his mouth onto Jim’s face. “I knew it was a mistake hiring you! Stupid battle crazy vets! Always trouble!”

“I don’t have PTSD, you asshole! That guy stormed my Winter Wonderland!”

“You’re fired! And I’m taking the cost of the suit out of your last paycheck! You ripped it!” He waved to the guards who threw Jim out the doors of the mall and into the parking lot. The last thing he saw was his manager’s florid, smug face trying to slam the door shut. Unfortunately for him it was an automatic door so he just struggled fruitlessly for a bit as it slowly closed on its own. He eventually threw his hands up and stormed away.

Jim ripped his beard off, it was half hanging off one ear anyway, and said, “Fuck!” That’s when he noticed the slumped figure against the wall, luckily without the candy cane anymore. Too pissed to consider his actions carefully, Jim strode over and kicked the guy’s shin. “You! What the hell is your problem? There were kids there! Someone could have been hurt, you crazy bastard!”

The guy yelled, “Hey! You damn, demented Santa. What was that for?”

“What was that for? You got me fired, asshole!”

The guy glanced at Jim and then harrumphed and started getting to his feet. He was staggering slightly and Jim finally noticed the reek of scotch that came off him. “You’re drunk!”

“Of course I’m drunk,” he slurred. “Do you think I would try and take down Santa sober?”

“What the hell was that about anyway?” Jim was curious and his anger at losing his job was evaporating. It wasn’t like he needed the money yet; the Santa job had just been a way of keeping busy. On the other hand, he wasn’t going to let the guy just slink off into the night. He was owed an explanation at the very least.

Looking Jim over, the guy harrumphed again and dragged a hand through his hair. “You told my little girl that I wouldn’t be alone on Christmas; that I would have someone to come home to. She’s impressionable. I don’t want her faith in Santa to disappear because of some idiot, especially after the divorce and everything we put her through. I was at the bar across the street stewing about it and I just snapped. Why the hell couldn’t you just promise her a doll or a pony, hell, anything else?” He poked Jim in the chest, which might have hurt except for the padding.

Unable to contain his excitement, Jim hopped in place and poked the guy back in the chest. He exclaimed, “Leonard McCoy!”

“How the hell do you know my name?” The guy was really glaring now.

“Joanna told me. And I couldn’t promise her a doll; all she wanted was for you not to be lonely.” Jim looked Leonard over from head to toe. “How on earth did _you_ produce such a sweet kid?””

“I ask myself that every day.”

Jim almost double-took at such an honest answer. And then Leonard’s shoulders were shaking, and Jim realized he was laughing. Chuckles started escaping Jim too. This was a day that would definitely make the list of stories that Jim was collecting to tell… well, someone someday.

The next thing Jim knew they were leaning on each other and laughing uproariously until security came around and not-so-politely told them to leave the mall premises, including the parking lots. Gathering his composure, Jim said, “Come on. I’ll give you a ride. I’m not letting you drive.”

Leonard swayed like a sapling in the wind, still hiccuping with laughter. “That’s probably a good idea.”

 

* * *

 

They ended up at an Irish pub a couple miles outside of town within walking distance of Jim’s hotel, because never let it be said that James T. Kirk couldn’t solve any problem with more drinking. Besides, Jim had a lot of catching up to do to reach Leonard’s blood alcohol level. He left his Santa suit in the trunk of his car, happy to finally be out of the sweaty thing.

Once inside, Jim poured Leonard into a back booth and got them both beers with whiskey chasers. He was a bit unclear on how he ended up buying the first round considering Leonard had attacked him and lost him his job, so by all rights Leonard should be treating him, but he shrugged it off. Leonard could buy the next round because there was surely going to be one. He sauntered back to their booth with the drinks and settled down with a sigh. What a motherfucking day. He downed his whiskey and slammed his glass down at the same time that Leonard did. They grinned at each other.

Leonard said, “I don’t even know your name.”

“Jim.”

“Well Jim, thanks for not kicking my ass.”

Jim snorted. “I thought you were going to brain me with that candy cane.”

“Those were heavy fuckers,” Leonard said with glee. Jim laughed. They clinked their beer glasses together and drank a silent toast. “So what are you doing playing mall Santa?”

“Passing through; I just got out of the Marines.”

“Quite a change in environment.”

Thinking of the hot desert and dusty compounds he had been stationed in, Jim just said, “Yeah.” He would need about ten more shots before he started spilling his guts. Changing the topic he asked, “So what kind of doctor are you?”

“How did you know…- Joanna.” Jim nodded with a small grin. Leonard shook his head and grimaced. “I’m going to have to teach her about stranger danger.”

“I was Santa Claus, I wasn’t a stranger.”

He flipped Jim off and Jim laughed. He answered, “I’m a trauma surgeon.”

“No shit.” After that it was easy to steer Leonard into bitching about his job and the idiots who came into his surgery and then into his disaster of a marriage. Leonard did buy the next three rounds, so Jim considered them even by the time he was too shit-faced to remember who was paying for what. After the sixth round, he thought Leonard might have just given his credit card to the bartender and told him to carry a tab for the two of them.

By that time, Jim had loosened up and offered up his own tales of combat, flying helicopters, and the idiots in command. He was so drunk he wasn’t sure how much sense he was making, but Leonard seemed fascinated.

They were slumped at the table chuckling about some stupid thing, Jim’s sloshed brain couldn’t quite remember what, when the bartender stopped by. “Last call. Do I need to order you guys a cab?”

Jim perked up. “Nah. I live over at the Marion. Marrier. Marriott. He can stay with me.”

“You got your key, buddy?”

Patting his pockets, Jim finally produced the keycard with triumph. The bartender nodded, satisfied, and Jim got up to drag Leonard back to his place. Leonard was stumbling and laughing still. He didn’t seem to have even noticed the bartender being there.

They staggered out into the cool night air, which sobered Jim up a bit; at least enough that he could pay attention to the changing streetlights and keep Leonard from wandering into traffic. It was just a five-minute walk to his hotel, but it took another five minutes for him to operate the keycard effectively while holding Leonard up. Damn electronics.

He dumped Leonard on the bed and stumbled to the other side to lie down with a satisfied sigh. He was passed out before he knew it.

 

* * *

 

Jim woke up when his pillow heaved. He heard a scratchy voice say, “What the hell?” The noise was like ice picks digging into his brain.

From their positions, he figured they had ended up cuddling during the night; Jim was laying half over Leonard’s torso. He poked Leonard’s side and groaned, “Shut up.”

Leonard froze underneath him. It was like resting on a strangely warm, concrete floor now. Jim lifted his head and glared. Leonard was looking at him in shock. When their eyes met, his gaze searched Jim’s face for something, Jim didn’t know what. Leonard said, “What... who’re… oh my god.” He held a hand to his forehead and moaned. Licking his chapped lips, he hoarsely started again. “Who are you? Where am I?”

His voice was rising in panic or anger; it was hard for Jim to tell in his state. Jim squinted and met Leonard’s panicked gaze. He smirked. Oh, this was too good. Leonard had been stinking drunk at the beginning of their adventure and Jim guessed spending the rest of the night drinking had done him in and he couldn’t remember a thing. He squeezed Leonard’s abs and asked, “Don’t you remember, darling?”

If possible, Leonard stiffened even further at the endearment. Jim tried to change his smirk into a sappy grin, but he doubted it was working. Still, it was obvious Leonard was freaking out, so the chances of him noticing how Jim was smiling were slim.

“Tell me we didn’t.”

“Now I can’t do that, honey muffin.”

“Oh god,” Leonard said. “Don’t call me honey muffin. I don’t even know you.”

Leonard was starting to look a little green around the gills, so Jim rolled away, stifling his own moan at the way it made his head ache. He looked at the ceiling and debated getting up. The upside of that idea was getting to pee; the downside was he just might throw up if he moved again.

Deciding against it for the moment, Jim said, “How can you say that after all we shared last night?”

“I was drunk; whatever we shared couldn’t have been that special.” Jim could hear the rising frustration in Leonard’s voice.

The devil in Jim couldn’t let him off the hook yet though, so he replied in a hurt voice, “That’s not what you were saying last night.”

“Wait a minute, why am I still dressed?” Leonard was patting down his chest and pockets. He turned to Jim and Jim couldn’t keep in his laughter any more. He started laughing as Leonard’s face turned ruddy and his wild eyes turned calculating.

Sharply, Leonard asked, “ _Who_ are you?”

That opening was too good, so Jim said, “I’m Santa Claus.”

Leonard’s gaze softened and he looked off to the side. “I remember wielding a candy cane at Santa… was that you? I thought that was a dream. How did I end up here? And no more bullshit.”

“You did attack me and got us both kicked out of the mall. We went drinking afterwards, and then you crashed here since it was in walking distance.”

“Joanna! You’re the devil who made her promises you couldn’t keep!” Now he was glaring again.

Wryly, Jim replied, “I think getting me fired evened the score.”

Leonard rolled his eyes, but said, “Point.” He then held his head again and grimaced.

Jim was finally awake and his stomach settled enough to get out of bed. “I’ll get you some aspirin, and then I’m taking a shower. You want one after?”

“God, yes.”

“Right.” Jim scooted to the end of the bed and stood up with only minor objection from his stomach, so he considered it a win. He found the aspirin and dry-swallowed some himself before getting a glass of water and dropping that and the pills off on the bedside table by Leonard. Leonard only grunted his thanks, but he was also sitting up, so Jim guessed that effort took it out of him.

Hopping in the shower, Jim moaned it felt so good. He didn’t rush, but he didn’t linger as long as he would have liked either. He realized that he hadn’t brought a change of clothes with him, so he wrapped a towel around his waist and left the steamy bathroom as is.

Leonard’s gaze scanned Jim slowly from head to toe, and he blushed as he passed Jim and entered the bathroom. Jim raised his eyebrows. Maybe his joking about a one-night-stand wasn’t so outlandish. Banging on the door, Jim said, “I have sweats and a t-shirt if you want to borrow them.” He heard a shout back, but couldn’t make out the words. He left the clothes on the chair near the door, assuming it was an affirmative.

Grinning while pondering the possibilities, Jim dried off and got dressed. He also started the coffee as he waited for Leonard to be done with his shower. It was ready just as Leonard exited the bathroom in his own towel. Jim let his gaze scan Leonard the same way Leonard had done to him. He liked what he saw. Leonard wasn’t ripped like Jim, but he had a quiet masculinity about him that was appealing. Jim pointed to the pile of clothes, and Leonard nodded his thanks and ducked back into the bathroom with them.

Pouring two cups of coffee, Jim stirred sugar into his cup, and took out the milk, sniffing it to make sure it was still good, in case Leonard liked his coffee light. Leonard came out dressed in Jim’s clothes, which were a little tight, but serviceable. He turned to Jim and said, “Coffee, thank god.”

“There’s sugar and milk if you need them.”

“Black is fine.”

Jim nodded and handed the other cup over. As he took a sip, he watched Leonard as he closed his eyes and communed with his coffee. Leonard seemed more put together now. When he opened his eyes, they were clearer and his gaze was sharp.

Jim hadn’t really been paying attention when Leonard was attacking him with candy canes or while they were drinking their worries away, but Leonard was stupidly attractive. He hoped he might be interested in spending more time together. He liked Leonard’s passion and competency, even when stinking drunk.

Leonard said, “So I remembered more of yesterday.”

“Oh?”

“You did two tours in Afghanistan and have no family in the area.”

Jim shrugged, but also nodded, waiting to see where Leonard was going with his line of inquiry.

“So the way I figure it, you owe us for lying to Joanna and since you have no other obligations, you should come over for Christmas Eve with us.”

Smirking, Jim put down his coffee and crowded against Leonard. “I owe you?” He figured Leonard was also doing it out of patriotism or some misguided kindness, but he didn’t mind. When Jim was in charge and on his game, he could get a lot more than Christmas Eve dinner.

Leonard froze momentarily, but then leaned into Jim’s space as if calling his bluff. Jim wanted to laugh. Unfortunately for Leonard, Jim never joked about hook-ups. “You definitely owe me. For upsetting Joanna, for getting me stinking drunk, and for that little charade earlier.”

“Well, it doesn’t have to be a charade, now does it.” Jim pushed closer and ran his lips over Leonard’s stubble in a soft caress.

Leonard leaned into Jim at first, but then he took a step back and raised an eyebrow at Jim. In a calm and collected voice, he said, “Hmm. We’ll see.”

Jim grinned. He loved challenges. “Put your number in my phone while I drive you to pick up your car and I’ll be there.”

Giving him a satisfied smile, Leonard nodded and put his empty coffee down. Jim knew when to hold’em, so he changed the topic to Joanna to find out more about her.

They put on shoes and made small talk as Jim drove Leonard back to the mall. Before Leonard got out, he said, “I’ll text you the address and time.”

Jim smiled a shark grin and replied, “I’ll be there.”

 

* * *

 

As promised, Leonard texted the address to Jim, so a week later he was on Leonard’s porch with a poinsettia, a wrapped gift for Joanna, and a bottle of wine. He had spent the last few days imagining what Leonard’s hands and mouth on him would feel like. It had been a long time, and Leonard was physically just his type. He missed sex almost as much as he missed flying. He could hear Leonard yelling to Joanna not to open the door without a grown-up. Jim laughed at the image of him and Leonard drunk off their gills while still being considered grown-ups.

Joanna opened the door with Leonard behind her. She beamed at Jim and said, “Merry Christmas!” She was wearing a red dress with festive, green trim and looked like a little princess. By her dressing up for the holiday, Jim was a little reassured that he had gotten a good gift for her. The doll would at least match her in formality.

Jim knelt down and offered his hand for her to shake. “And Merry Christmas to you, Joanna.” He looked up at Leonard and smiled at him too.

Leonard looked even more delicious than he had looked while drunk and hung over. His eyes sparkled in the Christmas lights, and he looked relaxed. He was dressed in a ridiculous Christmas sweater that had reindeer with actual bells in their reins on it. Jim suspected Joanna had bribed Leonard to put it on. He looked too comfortable in it. The bright green brought out the color in his hazel eyes.

Leonard ushered Jim inside and thanked him for the plant and the wine, and made Joanna say thank you for her present. He then said, “Dinner won’t be ready for a while yet. I’m sure Joanna would love to show you our Christmas tree, though. You can put her present there.”

“Lead the way.” Jim took Joanna’s hand and followed her into the house.

The Christmas tree was in the living room to the right of the door. Jim put the present under the tree as she began pointing individual ornaments out and discussing the McCoy traditions associated with them. Jim nodded along with her stories, entertained by the way she was so excited by all of it. Joanna finally ran out of steam, but pulled Jim down so that he could see further under the tree. She said, “These presents are for Daddy, but I saw him sneak one in with your name on it too.”

Jim read the tags on the gifts and found the one for him. He said, "Should I shake it to see what's inside?"

"Of course not! That's cheating!" Joanna put her hands on her hips and glowered at him.

Jim grinned back. "Maybe Santa will change my gift into coal if I do that, huh?"

She muttered back, "I would.”

Jim laughed and said, "Well, if you're not going to let me snoop, let's go see if your dad needs help."

She nodded eagerly and took his hand before running into the hallway and towards the back where the kitchen was located. Jim held on and trotted after her. He could smell turkey and spices and his stomach grumbled in anticipation. Joanna was already talking in a rush before they got into the kitchen. "Dad! Dad! Jim wanted to shake his present but I didn't let him."

Leonard turned from the stove and smiled at her. "Good girl. There's no snooping on our watch, is there?"

"No!"

The turned matching grins toward Jim who was helpless in smiling back. The McCoys had charm to spare. He ducked his head bashfully and scuffed his foot. "I guess I met my match in Joanna."

Coyly, Leonard said, "You seem to lose fights with McCoys a lot."

"Hey! I held my own with you."

Joanna was watching them like a tennis match and asked, "When did you fight? I thought you were friends?"

Leonard blushed. "It was just a pretend fight, darling."

Jim laughed again, but nodded along with Leonard’s statement when Joanna turned her questioning eyes towards him. She seemed satisfied with that and skipped to Leonard’s side to look at the turkey he was carving. “When’s dinner, Daddy?”

“In a few minutes. I just have to check the rolls. Why don’t you show Jim where to sit and get us all glasses of water?” Joanna nodded and pulled Jim into a formal dining room that had a little archway into the living room, and pointed him to the chair on the left. Jim caught Leonard’s gaze to see if he needed help, but Leonard nodded towards the table, so Jim sat down.

Joanna got them all water as Leonard began piling dishes on the table. Jim made an aborted move to help, but Leonard put his hand on Jim’s shoulder and quietly said, “I got it. Just two more.”

Jim felt a bit out of his depth with Leonard and Joanna treating him as such a formal guest. His family, the few times they had holiday meals together, were more interested in fighting than treating each other with cordiality and kindness.

Joanna plopped down on the chair across from Jim as Leonard sat in the chair at the head of the table. Looking a little abashed, Leonard said, “We usually go around the table and say what we’re grateful for. Joanna, you want to start?” Jim guessed that after all the shenanigans he and Leonard had been through, Leonard felt weird being so sappy, but Jim liked it. He could now see a glimmer of how Leonard had produced such a sweet girl.

Joanna straightened her back and clasped her hands together. “I’m grateful for Mommy and Daddy and my puppy Teddy. I’m also grateful Santa sent Jim to be with Daddy.”

Leonard coughed. “I told you Jim’s just passing through, honey.”

With a stubborn tilt to her chin, Joanna replied, “Santa will take care of that.”

Leonard was blushing by this time, and Jim started chuckling. He loved seeing Leonard in this different, yet still revealing circumstance. With a wink at Leonard, he said, “Santa does know what’s best.”

Joanna nodding furiously at him and said, “Santa knows all.” She then looked sternly at Leonard, who sighed and looked put upon, but Jim could see the twinkle in his eyes as he looked at Joanna. He bet Joanna could see it too, because she was smiling now.

She said, “What are you grateful for, Daddy?”

Looking thoughtfully into his water glass, Leonard seemed to give this serious consideration. “I’m grateful for my friends and family and the support they offer, as well as for Jocelyn for taking such good care of you now that we’re apart. I’m grateful that Jim survived his tours safe and sound and is joining us in celebrating Christmas. Finally, I’m grateful to have my darling girl in my life, always.”

Jim could see Leonard’s eyes sparkle with additional unsaid emotion, and it made him choke up for a second. The obvious love Leonard had for his daughter was daunting to Jim. His mother had never been demonstrative, and he couldn’t imagine her or his brother being so open. Hell, he was no open book either, and he was drawing a blank on what to say in a couple seconds when it was his turn.

Luckily Joanna interrupted the silence by whispering loudly to Jim, “Daddy refuses to thank Santa every year. I tell him he is going to get coal one of these Christmases, but he just laughs at me and says Santa and him have an understanding.

Jim turned a delighted smile to Leonard. “An understanding, huh? You’ll have to put a word in for me.”

Joanna asked, “You’ve been bad this year?”

Leonard snorted and Jim winked at him. He was having fun winding Leonard up with Joanna’s unwitting help. He turned his most wicked smile to Joanna and said, “Santa and I don’t always see eye to eye on what constitutes best behavior.”

She frowned at him and turned her suspicious gaze between Leonard and Jim as they both started chuckling. Pouting, she crossed her arms and harrumphed. “Considering you wanted to shake your present, I think I agree with Santa.”

Now both Jim and Leonard were laughing outright, while Joanna looked smug.

Leonard wiped his eyes and said, “Jim, would you like to say anything? No pressure.” He seemed to have realized Jim had no idea what to say or do with this McCoy tradition.

Gathering his wits, Jim took a sip of water. “I’m grateful for the other soldiers and their service. I’m grateful that my family are alive and healthy. And I’m thankful to you and Joanna for having me here today.” Both Leonard and Joanna beamed at him, and the combined force of their smiles made Jim’s breath catch. No one had been so happy with him in longer than he could remember.

Leonard said, “All right. Dig in!”

The meal was as delicious as the smells had indicated. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, corn, green beans, rolls, and of course, gravy. There was also apple pie for dessert which, Jim’s wine would go well with, but everyone agreed that they needed an hour to digest the meal first.

Jim insisted on helping clean up, and the three of them made quick work of it, laughing as they bumped into each other. As Jim and Leonard were finishing loading the dishwasher, Leonard said, “Why don’t you put on your Christmas CD, Joanna?”

“Okay,” she said as she ran off into the living room. In a few minutes the sound of “White Christmas” could be heard throughout the house.

With Joanna out of the room, Jim took the opportunity to tell Leonard, “Thanks for having me. It’s been fun.”

“No, thank you. Without you here, Joanna would have been pouting and fretting all night and then would have thrown a fit when it was time for her to leave. She hates thinking of me being alone.”

“She cares. You can’t fault her for that.” Jim ignored his own pang of longing for someone to care about him that much. He had a lot of practice, so he was able to dampen those thoughts easily. He was here now and that was all that mattered.

“Of course not, but she’s a bit too young to understand that although I miss her like I would miss a limb, Jocelyn and I are happier this way.” Leonard met Jim’s gaze ruefully as he closed the dishwasher and started it up.

Curious, Jim asked, “Are you?”

“Happier? Yeah, I am. If you think I’m crotchety now, you should have seen me during the last year of our marriage. I was in a high dudgeon most days.”

With a sly grin, Jim replied drolly, “For some reason, I find that easy to imagine.”

Leonard laughed and pushed Jim towards the dining room and the archway to the living room. They paused in the archway to see that Joanna had turned down the lights and lit the tree lights. It was so homey, Jim had a bit of disconnect. For a second he didn’t know what he was doing here and he felt like a cuckoo bird, stealing someone else’s comfort. Shaking it off, he firmly reminded himself that he was invited, and if it wasn’t for him, Leonard would be left with the trappings of the holiday but no company when Joanna left.

Joanna turned towards them and then squealed and clapped her hands. “You’re under the mistletoe! You have to kiss now!”

Jim looked up and sure enough there was a jaunty sprig of mistletoe tied with a red ribbon above them. Although Joanna seemed excited to have them kiss, Jim was embarrassed. He certainly couldn’t imagine kissing Leonard for real in front of her. With that in mind, and to get it over with, Jim quickly turned to Leonard and bussed him on the cheek.

Leonard gave him a cheeky grin in return and Joanna exclaimed, “That’s not a real kiss!”

Leonard asked Joanna, “Should I show him how McCoys do it under the mistletoe?”

Joanna was nodding frantically and Jim had a bad feeling about this, but before he could move, Leonard swept closer. Wrapping one arm around Jim’s waist and the other cradling his head, Leonard dipped him low and deep. With the swift movement Jim was a little light-headed, but he still felt secure in Leonard’s grip. Leonard’s hands were warm and large, holding him safely. In fact, Jim was stunned by how much he liked the feeling of trust he had.

Leonard was laughing, so the kiss was a little off at first, but Jim was too shocked by his own emotions to care. Finally getting himself under control, Leonard fitted their mouths together and kissed him with intent. Then, just as securely, Leonard lifted him up and settled him back on his feet. Leonard and Joanna were laughing hard now, probably at the astonished look he knew was on his face. Shaking off his longings for the continued feeling of intimacy and security that Leonard’s hands held, Jim finally joined the laughter.

Joanna yelled, “Me next! Me next!” She raced up to them and held out her arms to her dad. Leonard knelt down and dipped her too, kissing her cheek and making her squeal with laughter.

Once she was back upright, Joanna ran to a bookshelf in the far corner and said, “I want to play Candyland until it’s time for pie.”

Looking ruefully over at Jim, Leonard said, “Why don’t we ask our guest what he would prefer?”

Joanna pouted for a second, but then raced back to Jim and grabbed his hand. “Come on, Jim. I’ll show you the game. It’s really cool, you’ll definitely want to play.”

She showed him the game board and the cards, excitedly talking about the Candy Cane Forest and Gum Drop Mountain. Jim pretended to be indecisive, but finally admitted he had never played. Joanna insisted he must play _now_ then.

Leonard didn’t object this time, so with Jim and Joanna sitting on the floor and Leonard on the couch, they huddled around the coffee table and played the game. There was a lot of laughter as Leonard pretended to cheat and skip spaces and Joanna reprimanded him. It was about forty minutes later that Joanna won the game and Leonard said, “Time for pie.”

Joanna and Jim readily agreed, so Leonard opened the wine, Joanna brought the pie into the dining room, and Leonard directed Jim to where the ice cream and spoons were. They resumed their seats in the dining room and divvied up the pie and ice cream. There was minimal conversation as they all dug in, but the music still played softly in the background and continued to make everything festive.

As he ate the last bite, Jim leaned back and moaned. “All right, I am officially stuffed now. The ice cream might have done me in.”

Joanna said, “You can’t have apple pie without the ice cream, though.” Leonard nodded along seriously. They were both still eating, Leonard on his second piece of pie.

Laughing, Jim leaned on one elbow and watched them with a soft smile on his face. This had been the best Christmas Eve he had spent in longer than he could remember. Leonard looked up and when he caught Jim’s eye, he winked and grinned. Jim kicked his foot under the table, but smiled back.

Joanna began fidgeting, but with one stern look from Leonard, she huffed, but quieted down. It wasn’t until Leonard scraped up the last of his ice cream and licked his spoon, that he said, “All right, time for presents.”

Joanna cheered and Jim couldn’t help but laugh. As Joanna raced back into the living room, Leonard yelled, “Remember, only one each!”

Leonard and Jim walked more slowly into the living room, Jim making sure to avoid the mistletoe. He didn’t know if he could take another dip without doing something unforgivable like proposing marriage to Leonard. Leonard gave him a knowing smirk, but didn’t say anything and Jim was thankful.

Joanna had already pulled out three presents from under the tree. Leonard and Jim sat down on the couch and she handed a box to Jim and a larger package to Leonard. She then sat down on the floor with the gift Jim had bought her. She asked, “Now? Can we open them now?”

Leonard nodded and she ripped into her paper and tossed it all around as well as the ribbon and bow. Once she got a look at the front of the box, she squealed louder and sharper than she had all day. Jim winced and said, “I think that means she likes it, right?”

Joanna said, “Look, Daddy! It’s an American Girl Doll. Her name is Molly! She has a doctor dad too!”

“She’s lovely, Joanna. Don’t forget to say thank you.”

She jumped up and threw herself at Jim, hugging him fiercely. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Laughing, Jim hugged her back. “I’m glad you like her.”

“I love her! Now you have to open your present. I helped my Daddy pick it out.”

Leonard was still holding his gift, one edge was unwrapped carefully, but he nodded at Jim for him to open his gift. More carefully than Joanna, Jim unwrapped the gift, sticking the bow on Joanna’s head with a grin. The box was large and squishy, so Jim guessed it was clothes of some kind. Once open he discovered he was right because inside was a beautiful navy blue, cable knit sweater made out of a heavy wool. Jim pulled it out and held it up. “It’s gorgeous. You shouldn’t have.”

Leonard said, “I hope it’s the right size. And everyone deserves presents on Christmas.”

“Now open your gift, Daddy,” said Joanna. She was hopping in place in excitement. Leonard began slowly removing the wrapping, piece of tape by piece of tape. Joanna and Jim exchanged looks, and Jim rolled his eyes, causing Joanna to giggle.

Finally, Leonard was pulling back the paper and opening the box, revealing an old-fashioned doctor’s bag in black leather. Joanna said “I picked it out all on my own! Do you like it?”

“I love it, darling.” Leonard pulled Joanna into a tight hug and kissed her cheek affectionately. “Now let me see your doll while we wait for your mother to pick you up.”

Joanna was happy to oblige and regaled both Jim and Leonard with the doll’s details and clothing until they heard the doorbell. Joanna raced to the door, and Leonard shouted after her, “Don’t open the door without a grown-up,” just like he had when Jim was at the door.

Leonard rushed after her, but Jim hung back. He wasn’t sure what Leonard and his ex-wife’s relationship was like, and he didn’t feel comfortable intruding. He heard the murmur of voices, but just as he was reaching the hallway, Joanna ran back and hugged him around the knees tightly. “Thanks, Jim! I’m glad you’re here.”

Leaning down to hug her properly, Jim replied, “You’re welcome.” She then ran to get her things, picking up the doll carefully. Jim looked around the corner to see Leonard talking to an elegant, blonde woman. Obviously sensing Jim, Leonard looked over and waved him forward.

He said, “Jim, this is my ex-wife Jocelyn.”

Jim shook her hand and said, “Nice to meet you.”

She ran a critical gaze over him, but her smile was friendly enough as she said, “It’s nice to meet you too.” Joanna came back then with a backpack and the doll. Jocelyn asked her, “Are you ready to go?”

“Yes, Mom.”

Jocelyn nodded. She hugged Leonard briefly and waved at Jim as she ushered Joanna out the door. Leonard stood on the porch watching them until the car pulled away, with Jim standing to the right of him. Leonard looked sad for a second, but that look was banked when he turned back to Jim fully.

Still Jim wanted to erase the sad look from Leonard’s eyes. So giving Leonard a wicked grin, Jim said, “I believe you owe me now.”

“I owe you? I just fed you!” Jim didn’t wait for any more outrage from Leonard, he grabbed Leonard’s belt buckle and tugged him into the foyer. Leonard stuttered out a couple vowels, but before he could say anything coherent, Jim pushed him against the wall and sucked a kiss into his neck. He whispered, “I don’t think you’ll mind my price.”

Lifting his chin to give Jim more space, Leonard visibly relaxed. Smiling into Leonard’s skin, Jim bit down briefly and then leaned up for a real kiss. Leonard was ready for him, kissing him intently, and his hands were already on Jim’s shoulders bringing him closer.

The kiss was ardent and wet. Jim guessed they had both been dampening their desire while Joanna was there, so it was all springing loose at once. He didn’t mind in the slightest; in fact, he was looking forward to it. Deciding now was not the time to be coy, Jim started undoing Leonard’s belt buckle, which he was still holding.

Leonard broke their kiss and looked down at Jim’s hands. He moaned, “Oh, god,” and released one of Jim’s shoulder to slam the front door closed.

Grinning at Leonard, Jim tugged the belt free and then cupped Leonard’s cock through his trousers. He said, “I’ve been looking forward to this for days.” Leonard raised his eyebrow, probably trying to look unconcerned, but he was flushed and biting his lip, so Jim knew it was all an act. “Don’t worry, I’m very good.”

“I think this is one of those situations where you and Santa disagree on the definition of good,” Leonard retorted.

Falling to his knees, Jim laughed. “Santa doesn’t know what he’s missing.” He unzipped Leonard’s trousers, letting them pool down around Leonard’s ankles, while tugging his underwear down as well. Leonard’s cock was half-hard, but still nice and thick. The sweater wasn’t too long, so it hung a smidge above Leonard’s hips, leaving plenty of room for Jim.

Jim licked his hand so he could stroke it a couple times, bringing it to full hardness. Leonard moaned and thumped his head against the wall when Jim touched him. Feeling like he had teased Leonard enough, Jim didn’t wait and swallowed Leonard’s cock down, bobbing his head in a nice, but solid pace. He closed his eyes to better concentrate on the weight of Leonard’s cock on his tongue and how his mouth felt distended. He loved that feeling.

With care and affection, Leonard ran one hand through Jim’s hair, petting him lightly. It was another good thing to remember about tonight, and made Jim think he had lucked out with Leonard. Some guys pulled and pushed, were demanding and impatient, when all Jim wanted to do was take his time and savor the experience. He loved doing this.

On the other hand, Leonard was a joy to indulge; he was a little quiet, but still made low appreciative and encouraging noises. Jim opened his eyes and looked up to find Leonard staring at him, biting his lip hard again.

He tugged on Leonard’s hips, encouraging him to thrust a bit, and Leonard let out another broken moan, as his hips stuttered forward. Soon they had a marvelous rhythm of thrusting, withdrawing, and then Jim sucking Leonard’s cock back into his mouth. Jim let his own moan rumble out around his mouthful.

Leonard mumbled, “You’re so-,” but didn’t finish his thought before he was fisting his hands, one on Jim’s shoulder and one against the wall, and coming down Jim’s throat. Jim swallowed greedily, until it got to be too much, and then he pulled off, finishing Leonard off with his hand as he spurted out the last drops onto Jim’s cheek.

Leonard was shaking and his hand unclenched enough to grip Jim’s shoulder. His head was against the wall and his eyes were squeezed shut. While he waited for Leonard to come back to earth, Jim wiped his cheek and sucked his fingers into his mouth, sucking up the last of Leonard’s come.

Leonard shook his shoulders and finally opened his eyes. He slumped down to his knees, squeezing between Jim and the wall, and with both hands holding Jim’s face, kissed Jim like his life depended on it. Jim, hard as a rock now, moaned into the kiss and let Leonard control it, knowing that he would get his satisfaction soon enough.

A few minutes later, Leonard was pushing Jim backwards onto his back on the floor, so Jim scrambled to get his legs oriented to the front. Leonard said, “My knees aren’t what they used to be. It’ll be better down here.”

“I am more than okay with that.” Jim lifted his hips as Leonard unbuttoned his jeans and tugged them down to his thighs. Jim was going commando and Leonard smirked at him. Jim grinned back. “I haven’t done laundry in a while.”

“I’m sure you don’t need an excuse most days.”

“What can I say? I like a little room.”

Leonard laughed and then ran his hands along Jim’s bare thighs, pushing them as far apart as possible. He lightly gripped Jim’s balls and fondled them gently. Jim squirmed in pleasure and lifted his hips to entice Leonard for more contact.

Leonard smiled at him, but also took the hint, and after lying down on the floor half over Jim’s legs, he wrapped his mouth around Jim’s cock and sucked hard. Jim’s neck arched, his hips lifted, and his hand scrambled for something to hold onto. Finally gripping one of Leonard’s hands, Jim let out a long moan.

Leonard hummed appreciatively around Jim’s cock, before squeezing Jim’s hand and pulling off. “You can pull my hair. I like that.”

Jim blinked his eyes open, unaware until then that he had closed them, and lifted his other hand to take a good grip of Leonard’s hair. “You are just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Breaking out his own shark-like grin, Leonard replied, “Just you wait. I’ll rock your world later tonight.”

“Promises, promises,” Jim lazily replied, but inside he was quivering at the husky promise. He could just imagine how amazing it would feel to be fucked by Leonard with his strong thighs providing leverage, and his large hands holding him down. Still, he didn’t want to let go of the upper hand, so he said, “I’m still waiting for you to rock my world now.” He tugged Leonard’s hair.

Slowly jacking Jim’s cock with his hand, Leonard said, “Now I know that isn’t true. You almost got off by sucking me off. Your world is already off-kilter. You’re eager for it.”

“Never discount the worth of a grand finale, though.”

Laughing, Leonard began moving his hand faster. “Touché.” He then finally leaned down and resumed the blow job. Leonard had been right about Jim. He had brought himself to the brink by blowing Leonard, so it was no surprise when Jim came hard and shaking only a couple minutes into Leonard’s resumed efforts.

Leonard swallowed him through the aftershocks until Jim got too sensitive and tugged his hair hard. Then he pulled off with a slight sound, and rested his head on Jim’s thigh. They lay like that for few minutes, Jim was even drifting off, but Leonard shook his leg and said, “No sleeping on the floor. I have a great bed.”

Jim groaned, but got himself standing with Leonard’s help, pulling up his jeans. He left them mostly unbuttoned, while Leonard just stepped out of his trousers and balled then up in his hands. He looked ridiculous wearing just his festive sweater, so Jim smiled goofily at him. It might have also been all the endorphins rushing through his system. Leonard wrapped a hand around Jim’s jaw and kissed him. He then tugged Jim’s arm and led him to the stairs and up to his bedroom.

The furniture were heavy, dark wood pieces with a large headboard and a massive wardrobe. The bed was made with a forest green coverlet that matched the drapes, which were closed against the chilly air.

Leonard stripped off his sweater and dumped both it and his trousers in a laundry basket by the door to the en suite bathroom. Jim peeled off his jeans and unbuttoned his shirt, leaving them on a chair on the other side of the room. Leonard was already pulling back the covers. Jim padded over to him and slid into the bed when Leonard pushed him down.

Leonard climbed in after him and pulled Jim into his arms. They were snuggling like the morning they woke up drunk, but it was better now. Leonard knew what he was doing, and Jim liked the knowledge that he wanted this. Warm and comfortable, Jim was asleep in minutes.

When Leonard woke him in the middle of the night with kisses, he did indeed rock Jim’s world by fucking him through the mattress.

When Jim woke up for a second time, the drapes were parted and the sun was shining in. Leonard was gone, but Jim could hear the shower going. Putting his arms behind his head and gripping the headboard, Jim stretched. He was a little sore from the night before, but it felt good.

Getting up, he went to the chair holding his clothes and pulled out his phone. Getting back under the covers, he looked through his messages as he waited for Leonard to finish.

He was just stopping on a promising email, when Leonard came back into the bedroom with a towel around his waist. Jim asked, “Where’s Mt. Pleasant?”

Quirking an eyebrow at Jim, Leonard replied, “Just north of here. Why?”

“The Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital is looking for a trauma helicopter pilot.”

Leonard stilled. “So you’d be sticking around?”

Warily, Jim scrutinized his face. “Would that be a problem?”

“The opposite, in fact.” Leonard grinned at him, with his eyes twinkling and his teeth showing.

Jim relaxed and smiled back. “There’s no guarantee. I need to apply.”

“I didn’t even know you were looking for a real job in the area.” Leonard sounded hesitant to bring up Jim’s situation, which Jim guessed he understood. He had been a lot less forthcoming during their drinking date than Leonard had been.

“I’ve been looking all over the country, actually. This just popped up on my radar.”

“Well, I’m glad it did.”

“Is Roper the hospital you work out of?”

“No, I work out of the South Carolina Medical Center. It’s part of the university system.”

“But still, we might run into each other. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not for me; I would like it, in fact. And it better not be for my staff or everyone is going back to sensitivity training.”

Jim laughed. “You have that much power, huh?”

“I did mention I was the director, right?” Leonard removed his towel and climbed back into bed and into Jim’s arms. He ran one hand in a wide sweep from Jim’s knee to his ribs.

“I haven’t showered. I must be gross.”

Murmuring against Jim’s skin, Leonard said, “You’re brilliant.”

Jim decided that he would worry about the future later. Right now he would concentrate on the man in his arms. And, one never knew, maybe Santa still had a few surprises for him. It certainly looked like he was making a miracle or two happen.


End file.
